Getting conversions for your website is a tough racket. It requires a deft touch and knowledge of when to take the right kind of action. It demands anticipation of your audience’s needs and the ability to show them how your product meets those expectations.
This post will provide some more insights to help you get to the next level.
23. Bounce Is Bad.
An easy error to make is to assume that if you can just get people to go to your site and check it out, you will get the conversions you want. It’s the law of large numbers — if enough people see you, someone is bound to like what you are offering.
High bounce rates occur when the vast majority of people who visit your site leave without doing anything.
Generally, it takes a lot of effort and resources to get people to your site. If you have a high bounce rate, it means you are wasting resources. Take the extra time to craft a strategy that will only drive people who are predisposed to purchasing your product, and lower that bounce rate.
24. Only You.
You may think standardized pricing is the best way to go for high conversions; after all, the less time consumers have to wait, the more likely they are to buy. However, that might not always be the case.
A personalized bid based on the consumers’ specific needs might make them more inclined to buy. This creates a belief in the viewers that your product will be better able to meet their demands, which makes it more likely they will make a purchase. This might be a tip you want to test on your site before you implement it.
25. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It.
We discussed individual testimonials in the prior post as a way to build trust. This is another means of building trust, but instead of focusing on individuals, focus on the group. It’s one thing if a person says your product is great.
If 250,000 people buy your product, the idea is they can’t all be wrong. Showing off your sales totals can be a great way to build trust in consumers, leading to conversions.
26. The Longest Journey Begins with a Single Step.
This is a especially useful step if the process of completing the conversion is particularly long or difficult. If you overwhelm consumers with too long a process, you minimize the likelihood they’ll make a purchase.
Ask them to do something small first throughout their browsing experience so when they do decide to make a purchase, they aren’t burdened with having to do dozens of things.
27. One Product Per Page.
Do not make your viewers suffer information overload. You may think that by cutting down on the number of clicks viewers have to make, you will increase conversions.
However, if they open a page with dozens of different products, their eyes may gloss over and the only click they’ll make is to get off your page. Consider giving each product its own page, but make it easy for customers to find their way there.
28. Triple Check the Content.
There is nothing more embarrassing then having a customer click on a link that takes them to the wrong place or presents unfortunate wording in a product description.
Have a number of people go over the content to make sure everything is exactly how you want it. This strategy also helps to make sure everyone reads the content in the same way and gets the same information out of it.
29. No Matter Where You Look, There Should Be a Call to Action.
Oftentimes, designers place the call to action button at the top of the webpage. The problem is, people scroll down. So, if they want to make a purchase, they have to scroll all the way back to the top.
It’s a minor annoyance, but you want to make things as easy as possible for the viewer. When designing your site, make sure no matter where the people are on the page, they can see a call to action button or link on their screen.
30. Contrasting Images.
If you are selling a fitness program, you are probably trying to market to people who are out of shape.
So, when building your site, you want to use images that emphasize the product you are selling, not images of what your product is trying to combat — in the fitness example, you would show physically fit people.
31. Desktop vs. Mobile.
As mobile devices become an increasingly popular means to view the Internet, more sites are adapting their front-end coding to deal with small mobile screens. However, there have been test cases where sites optimized for mobile viewing have done worse than sites designed purely for traditional monitor sizes.
If you are planning on having a mobile presence (and you should), test your mobile-optimized site against a non-optimized version.
32. Less (Choice) Is More.
This is not necessarily about reducing the number of products on your page as it is about reducing the number of actions you can take on the page. Think about Google.
Instead of putting every possible question and search filter on the landing page, Google just asks what you are looking for. Once it displays those results, it offers additional options to narrow your search, making the entire process less burdensome.
33. Do Usability Tests.
There are professional firms that hire people to go through your site and narrate what they are experiencing. These tests reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your site’s user experience. Try to do at least five, and use more than one firm for testing.
34. Don’t Beg for Cash, Beg the Question.
“Is your house adequately insured?” “How are you going to pay for your child’s education?” Asking viewers a direct question helps them determine if they have any doubts or have any needs not being met.
If they do, you can then use the site to explain how your product will fix those problems. Instead of explaining why they need what you are selling, explain how you can fulfill their need, which is an easier task.
35. Shorten the Sales Process.
You need their billing information, and you need their address. If you are asking for anything else, you really have to offer a strong justification for it.
36. Free to Be You and Me.
People love free things, even if its not something they would necessarily get for themselves. That being said, make sure it is something people can use, and not some random trinket.
37. Let Them Know the Value of the Gift.
Normally, you are not supposed to tell someone the value of the gift; its the thought that counts, after all.
However, by revealing how much the free gift is worth, you enhance the value of the purchase. If you give someone a gift valued at $50 for a $50 purchase, the purchase is worth $100 in their eyes, but they only have to pay $50. This creates a sense of heightened value.
38. Anything They Can Do We Can Do Too.
It is a tactic that works in bricks-and-mortar stores as well. If you match your competitor’s price or terms, its one less reason for customers to take their business elsewhere and one more reason to convert now.
39. Check Out the Competition…and Everyone Else.
Check out other websites; they might be doing something you could use. Don’t just always be closing; always be learning.
40. Don’t Sacrifice Everything for Conversions.
You want to get the sale, but most businesses would prefer to have repeat customers. These tactics, if abused, could get sales now but totally ruin future opportunities. Don’t sacrifice the future for conversion now.
41. Know the Rules But Be Willing to Break Them.
There are a lot of best practices, but as we have talked about before, they don’t always work. The rules are a great place to start, but they probably don’t all work for your specific site. Don’t just assume that any best practice is your best practice.
42. Evolve.
IMDb has been around since 1989. Its first site worked and was popular, but the current incarnation probably looks nothing like the original version. Every so often, don’t be afraid to start over with a clean slate and redesign. Just be sure to test to ensure the new version works better than the original.